


Special Projects

by Amariel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: M/M, Recreational Drug Use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-02-28
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:28:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22937890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amariel/pseuds/Amariel
Summary: What's the truth about Greenhouse five? Neville knows. Bill Weasley tries to find out. Written pre-HBP.
Kudos: 2





	Special Projects

eville gasped, dropped the bundle of clean clothes and the towel he was carrying and bent down to try to gather them up.

"I didn't know there was anyone here, it's usually empty," he said. And blushed.

He had met Bill Weasley several times before. During the past few months, Bill had often come to Hogwarts to consult with the Headmaster and Professor Snape. But Neville hadn't seen him in the Quidditch changing room before and never seen him wear nothing but a small towel.

Neville often used the Quidditch dressing room showers when he had worked in the hot greenhouses all day. They were mostly empty nowadays since Quidditch had been deemed "too dangerous" by the School Board, after several Death Eater attacks during Quidditch league matches.

Neville's room this year was in the Western tower, where he shared a bathroom with the other apprentices and younger Aurors stationed at Hogwarts. He had been very proud when Professor Sprout had owled him and asked if he wanted to be her apprentice. And his Gran finally had let go of the notion that he would join the Aurors like his father.

All the teachers had apprentices, and Madam Pomfrey had a whole cadre. The Hospital wing had been expanded to take care of recuperating war victims, transferred from St. Mungo's where the healers mainly took care of emergencies. A lot of classrooms had been converted to wards, desks and chairs replaced with rows of beds.'

The occupants of the Western tower might have to room together if the situation changed if more families and fugitives came to Hogwarts for shelter, or more Ministry personnel needed to be placed there. Some people already shared, but Neville was grateful that he still had his own room.

"Sorry if I scared you," Bill Weasley said.

"Hello Bill," Neville replied and tried to smile.

"I have been in Professor Snape's lab all day. I reeked," Bill said, rolled his shoulders and stretched. "And that blonde woman, the one with the screechy voice, had decided to bathe all her five children in the Prefect's bath."

"I know," Neville said, "It's Mrs Orsini, her kids love the bubbles. They haven't seen anything like it. They're Muggles, but three of the children have shown signs of magic."

"It's a bit quieter down here, don't you think?"

"I like the quiet," Neville said.

And it was true. Now there seemed to be people everywhere. Aurors patrolled the school grounds day and night. It was like in the second year when teachers and prefects followed the younger students to and from classes, but worse. The fear of spies and sabotage was almost tangible, especially after a seventh-year Ravenclaw had been caught in the kitchens, in the act of poisoning the pumpkin juice. And then there had been the fire in the Astronomy Tower, that they still didn't know who started. Moody had been there, and all staff and seventh-years had been interrogated using Veritaserum. Dumbledore didn't let Moody interrogate the younger students. Neville still blushed when he remembered being forced to admit doing certain things to, and with, Terry Boot in said tower. It had happened in their seventh year, but he had never told anyone. And it had been truly mortifying to admit it in front of Moody and Dumbledore. Moody just gave a disapproving snort, but Dumbledore smiled and assured Neville that his Grandmother wouldn't be told.

"I'll just take a quick shower, and be on my way," Bill said. "And leave you alone."  
Neville looked at him. Tall, but not skinny, with long hair brushing his shoulders and a lopsided smile. He had a thick scar almost encircling his upper arm. Neville wanted to touch it. Ask him how he got it. And now he could see exactly why Harry always got that look in his eyes when he talked about Bill Weasley. A look, that had always made Neville suspect that The Boy Who Lived wasn't as straight as he thought himself to be.

"I don't mind," Neville said and tried to calm down as he quickly undressed.

Bill disappeared into the showers.

Neville felt very self-conscious when he stepped in under the flowing water. He really didn't dare look at Bill, who was washing his long hair.

"How's working with Professor Sprout, then?" Bill asked.

"It's brilliant," Neville said. "I like working with plants. And she's a good teacher."

Bill hummed non-committally.

"I'm crap at Herbology," he said. "Always was."

"What are you doing here," Neville asked.

"Having a shower." '

Bill had very white teeth, Neville thought. Or just uncommonly red lips.

"No, I meant here, at Hogwarts." Neville put a hand over his mouth. "Sorry, I didn't mean to pry. You probably can't talk about it."

"Not really. But it's about cursing objects and setting traps."

"Cool," Neville said.

"Hey, tell me one thing," Bill said. "Is it true about greenhouse five?"

"Professor Sprout's special project?" Neville laughed. "I think every seventh-year student has asked me that."

"I'm not a student. I tried to get Snape to talk about it. Told him how liberal the view on, eh, certain herbal use, was in the Middle East, and that I missed it. He didn't admit it right out, but I almost got him to smile when I said that I thought the Death Eaters could benefit from the habit. Not to mention You-Know-Who himself. According to Snape he's is very pro certain kind of drugs, apparently, he's always urging Snape to experiment with strong variations of Pepper-up and Nodoze potions. But he's completely against the use of Sinsemilla. The only thing he allows his followers to smoke is the Red Amanita Mushrooms. But Snape didn't recommend that."

"I shouldn't think so. We learned that the Vikings used those for brewíng tea before raids. It made them go berserk. That mushroom makes you overconfident and very paranoid."

"Just the way You-Know-Who wants his followers."

"He's probably afraid that his followers would tell him to take it easy and chill out when he wants them to go on killing raids."

Bill laughed.

"That's exactly what I said to Snape!" He turned and looked directly at Neville. He raised an eyebrow, and Neville almost shivered. "Come on Neville, I can keep a secret."

"Can you?"

"Do you doubt it?"

"No, "Neville said. "Okay. It's true. The woman's a genius."

"I knew it!"

"I'll tell you a secret." Neville smiled at Bill, who leaned against the tiles. Rivulets of water ran down his body and pooled in his navel. Neville didn't dare lower his eyes further, but he was sure Bill didn't have the same qualms. We're flirting, he realised. Naked, in the Gryffindor Quidditch showers. His cheeks felt warm and he really wished he'd had something to hide behind.

"What?"

"It's the music."

"Music?"

"She plays reggae to the plants. A bit of Bob Marley and they grow like nothing else."

Bill laughed again.

"Do you think you can snag some?"

"I have some in my room. She doesn't mind as long as I don't give it to students."

"You have your own room?"

"Don't you?"

"No, I'm rooming with Harry and Ron." Harry and Ron, who were both in Auror training, had come for a short visit, probably for some business with Dumbledore. "Ron snores."

"I know," Neville said. Bill raised an eyebrow. "Roomed with him for seven years."

"Oh. Do you want to share some of Sprout's special project with me?" Bill said.

Neville felt something in his stomach curl. He tried to keep calm. It wasn't like Bill had come on to him - someone like Bill could have anyone. And he was probably straight, only friendly. Hadn't Ron said something about him and that blonde girl from Beauxbatons, Fleur? But it would be nice to talk to him some more; Bill was nice and fun. And very, very attractive, Neville had to admit.

"Sure," he said.

"I've got to meet with the Headmaster after dinner, but I'll come by your room later tonight if it's okay."

"It's the door with a painting of a falcon."

"I know," Bill said, turned off the water and towelled himself off.

He gave Neville a pat on the arm, leaving his skin tingling.

"See you later," he said and went out, with the towel over his shoulder, turning in the doorway with a grin.

Neville's stomach did the same thing it had done before, but he managed to smile back. He wondered if he would ever feel that comfortable in his own body. Probably not.

What Neville did in the shower as soon as he heard the door close, very quickly, in case someone else would show up, is something best left unsaid. His mind was a blur of tanned limbs, long red hair, dark blue eyes and thoughts about how it would feel to outline that scar with his tongue.

Neville leaned against the chair, sitting on the rug. His room was very small, but there were two fairly comfortable armchairs in front of the fireplace. He often found himself stretching his legs on the soft rug. The other chair was currently occupied by Bill Weasley, who looked very comfortable, with his legs hanging over one armrest and his head on the other. The smoke was curling upwards to the ceiling in blue-grey wisps. Neville had wanted to open a window, but Bill stopped him and said it would be too cold. He performed a spell that he assured Neville would keep any smells inside.

He asked lots of questions about life at Hogwarts and told stories about Egypt and the Goblins at Gringott's that made Neville laugh.

Then Neville heard Bill moving and thought he was going to leave, but instead felt him climb down in Neville's chair, behind him. Neville held his breath.

He suddenly had a pair of hands on his shoulders, moving toward his chest, opening the three top buttons of his robes. He felt lips against his neck, following the hairline to his ear.

"I can stop now," Bill whispered in his ear. "If you want."

"Please don't," Neville managed to say. His voice sounded strange and hoarse.

Afterwards, Neville couldn't remember the details, except kissing like two men drowning, leaving robes, shirts, trousers and socks all over the floor, ending up in the bed that felt unusually soft and nice. And he got to feel the slightly raised scar around Bill's arm with his tongue. He would remember the feeling and the sound of Bill's moans for a long time.

"I have watched you, Neville," Bill whispered. "Do you want me as much as I want you?"

"Oh," Neville said.

"Please let me," Bill said. "I'm leaving tomorrow before breakfast."

"Oh yes."

And it didn't feel like more words were needed.

The next morning Bill kissed Neville goodbye at the door and said that he hoped they could get together again the next time he visited Hogwarts. Neville wasn't averse to that idea.

At breakfast, he felt a prickling sensation in his scalp like someone was glaring at him. He turned his head and met Harry's angry stare. Afterwards, Harry cornered him on his way to the greenhouses.

"What were you doing with Bill?"

"None of your business, I think."

"He's eleven years older than you!"

"And that's bad?"

"Are you two together now, or what?"

"No."

"No?"

"Harry, if you have a crush on him, tell him."

"What? I'm not…I don't… I couldn't…Could I?"

"Want to talk about it?"

"Eh?"

"Will you be here tonight?"

"Yes. Ron is going back, but I'm here for a couple of days."

"Come to my room tonight, and we'll talk. Not about that, if you don't want to."

"Okay."

"You need to relax a bit, Harry. You're way to tense."

"There's a war going on if you hadn't noticed!"

"But you're here now."

"To work!"

"Nothing to say you can't do both."

"Right, see you tonight." Harry started to walk away, then turned back and lowered his voice.

"Eh, Neville?"

"Yes."

"Do you have access to greenhouse five?"

"Professor Sprout's special project?"

"Yeah."

"Sure."

"Great. See you later."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Penguin and Choklid for beta-reading.


End file.
